


A Lieutenant's Thoughts

by Athena13



Series: Thoughts [6]
Category: Battlestar Galactica (1978)
Genre: F/M, Friendship, Love, thoughts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-29
Updated: 2013-09-29
Packaged: 2017-12-27 22:31:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/984371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Athena13/pseuds/Athena13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Boomer is just distant enough to see clearly.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Lieutenant's Thoughts

Now, Apollo and Starbuck are my best friends and as with most friends we have our self-assigned roles within the relationship. Apollo is the temperamental one. When his temper isn't flaring he’s either passionate or melancholy. Starbuck, on the other hand, is the impulsive one. He has a great sense of humor, loves a good time, and thrives on a challenge. Me, I'm the happy medium, the more calm and rational one whose role it is to play mediator between the other two. Sometimes this task involves shaking them up and forcing them to deal with issues head on. It's a role I take pretty seriously, and, I have to admit, I find it kind of fun a lot of the time. Last late cycle I got to enjoy myself immensely. Let me tell you about it.

Last late cycle we were at dinner at Adama's, as we do pretty regularly. Usually it's just a pleasant and civilized affair, but I knew as soon as I arrived that something was up. 

Apollo was sitting down holding a glass of grog. Now, our staid Captain never starts an evening out with mind altering substances unless there is something nagging on his mind so I was immediately intrigued. I noticed Sheba and Adama looking at him curiously, so they were obviously not going to be of any help in telling me what was going on. So I tried Athena. 

She, however, couldn't seem to put two words together. Athena is a normally articulate conversationalist so I assumed Apollo's mood had something to do with her. I didn't for a micron think they had been arguing. Besides the fact that she and her brother rarely argue, I knew it would take more than that to throw Athena that off-balance. So, I was still wondering what had happened when we sat down to dinner.

It was then I realized that Cassi and Starbuck hadn't arrived yet. Suddenly, my mood took downward turn. All I could think was that Starbuck must have proposed to Cassi. That would explain Athena's upset, as well as Apollo's. 

As I said before, Apollo and I are Starbuck's closest friends. Apollo and I have had numerous conversations about Starbuck's relationship with Cassiopeia. While we both genuinely like her as a person, neither of us felt that she was right woman for Starbuck to settle down with. Our opinion, for what it was worth, was that Starbuck needed someone who could accept him the way that he was. Who could support his work as a warrior. It had been clear for a while that Cassi isn't that woman.

We're not clairvoyant or anything. In fact, at the beginning we had both thought she was ideal for him, but ever since her former lover Cain came back from the dead she had changed. For some reason she seemed less tolerant of Starbuck’s cycles out playing pyramid and his need to take on every dangerous mission. She had even delivered something of an ultimatum before he went off on one of those dangerous missions, basically telling him that he was going to die. Not exactly what she said, but what he heard and the timing was awful and selfish. I found myself upset on his behalf since he was brushing it under the proverbial rug. Just as he had her lack of support when he was accused of murder.

Apollo and I, as well as Jolly, Greenbean, and our other friends, have been unwilling witnesses to a few fights wherein Cassi had given Starbuck some rather harsh words about his furlon plans, his eyeing of other women, and other behaviors that typically upset women who are trying to change their men. 

Don't think for a micron that Apollo and I were ganging up on Cassi, we were just worried about our friend. No matter how much Starbuck tries to pretend he's a carefree hotshot, we both knew he is really a sensitive guy underneath. Cassi's unilateral attempts to change him and the dynamic of their relationship had taken a noticeable toll on him. 

We were less likely, for instance, to see him having a good time. He started seeming so desperate to find something or someone to hang onto. Whether it was a putative father or a one way mission, our boy was looking for an escape from his life. And it had us worried. A warrior who becomes too reckless only gets himself and his squadron killed. And if anyone deserved happiness, it's our friend Starbuck. So I had assumed that was what had thrown the siblings for a loop this evening. I couldn't blame them.

Then Starbuck showed up during our second course, alone and with a palm print on his face. Now this was by no means the first time Apollo and I had seen such a mark, but last night it was a great relief. Whether he had tried or not, obviously he and Cassi were not engaged. Apollo and Athena's discomfiture didn't end, however, so I was back to trying to figure out what was going on. 

Since Starbuck was no stranger to the right hook from a woman, his obvious distress seemed a bit out of character. Especially since I had long ago figured out that he wasn't deeply in love with Cassi. So, unless he was still convinced he was, his upset seemed out of place. 

And even that explanation fell flat when I noticed that he couldn't look anyone in the eyes. Plus, he was uncharacteristically quiet. Between the being quiet and being unable to look Apollo in the eyes I knew that something really bad had to have happened. And since I didn't know what was going on I was diplomatically keeping my mouth shut. That is until I saw the look Starbuck gave Athena.

One look said it all, and the poor girl didn't even see it at first. Then she was looking back at him and it got seriously intense. Burning hotter than the suns on Scorpia. That's when it all clicked and I just couldn't leave well enough alone since I had been secretly praying for this for sectars - Starbuck had finally realized that he was in love with Athena. I mean, Apollo would never admit it and I would never have said it to him, but I always thought Athena was or would be the perfect woman for him. She had known him for yahrens. She accepted him for who he was. She made clear her expectations. She had her own responsibilities keeping her busy. She respected what he did as a warrior. Add the fact that she absolutely and totally adored him and she was the perfect woman for him in my eyes. She even had her own impulsive side. It needed a little honing at the time they were first together, but it kept our boy on his toes and more engaged with her than he was any other woman flitting around him.

I also knew that as much as he tried to play it cool, I knew that Starbuck felt the same about her. He adored her and he trusted her more than he trusted most anyone except for his closest friends and squad mates. For instance, after the dust settled with Starbuck moving on to Cassi and playing games with Athena, Starbuck went back to treating Athena as a confidant. Apollo and I would often hear about some pretty heavy stuff from Starbuck long after he had already discussed it with her. Like Athena, Starbuck had needed some maturing, but by last night cycle both of them had matured so much I knew it was finally the right time. That’s why there was no way I was going to let the opportunity pass to push them together even so close on the heels of a break up. That’s why I goaded him. 

During the meal I not-so-casually asked him to explain the palm print on his face. The poor man blushed. I kept asking him calculatingly annoying and naive sounding questions, trying to get a straight answer about the reason for the break up, certain it was because of his feelings for Athena. 

Unfortunately, Sheba bore the brunt of my little plan, and I don't think she's too happy right now with the outcome due to the fact that she's close with Cassi. But she'll get over it, especially when she sees how happy Apollo is now. No seriously. Apollo is happy about this relationship now. 

You see, somewhere during my merciless questioning of Starbuck Apollo caught on and apparently decided that I was right and that Starbuck belongs with Athena. I caught the encouraging smile he gave Starbuck. I could tell Adama felt the same way, but the man isn't our Commander for no reason. Perception is a job requirement.

I was kind of sorry that Athena seemed to miss the entire by-play entirely. She sat there through dinner looking terribly upset and silent. Although how she missed the meaning of the looks Starbuck was shooting her I have no idea. Especially since she was looking at him plenty too. But that was to be resolved pretty soon thanks to her father.After dinner Adama cleared us all out. And the man was not at all subtle. 

When I got back to the barracks after drinks on the O Club Starbuck wasn't back yet and he was gone before I woke up this morning cycle. I know he was back because his fumarellos were sitting on his chest. He even made his bed. Things must have turned out all right with Athena.

I guess if Starbuck is going to settle down with one woman I'd better get started on that love life of my own now. I wonder what Rigel is doing tonight?

END


End file.
